I chose the NIkonos III for the reasons you mentioned. I will mostly be using it in fresh water around Austin, TX but I do some times go to the beach at Galveston, TX.
Hey, thank you ! That’s awesome , I hope you enjoy your camera, there a lot of fun. I use to scan my negatives on an epson v550 flatbed for years , great budget option but it’s time consuming. These days I use my digital camera to scan the negatives and negative lab pro to invert them. I don’t shoot as much film lately and sometimes I just have my local lab scan it because they usually get the best results. Hope that helps, good luck with your nikonos, hit me up if you have any questions.
Awesom video Alex! So random I've linked up with you while I was surfing around Carlsbad and you happened to be shooting water and got a couple tube photos of me. I love my nikonos 2 and this vid popped up in my suggested. Small world!
What’s up Bryan! Long time no see, yeah I got lots of photos of you surfing at a few different local spots. I think I have a few more from a ponto session, shoot me an email I’ll send em alexbemanianphoto@gmail.com. Yeah man the older nikonos cameras are epic, gotta link up someday for another sesh see what we can get with the nikonos. 🤙🏼
Awesome images. I'm keen to get the Nikonos III as well - mainly for the reasons you listed. However, one potential issue is finding places that will service the III. If there are any businesses around that can still service Nikonos cameras, they would likely have experience servicing the V model as that one seems to be more popular and continued production for a very long time.
Thank you . I haven’t been able to find anyone that services the nikonos unfortunately. But I have been really lucky and none of my cameras have failed yet. The V is definitely more popular and it has some nice features, but there’s a lot more that can go wrong. The III is a safe choice, all mechanical, total workhorse! Hope you find one out there , cheers!
Thanks for making this video. There is not a lot about this camera out there. I learned that the latter examples of this camera are more likely to have a working frame counter due to improvements in the design. You can look for serial numbers starting with 317 or 318 and look for the red section before the number zero to make sure it's one of these latter examples of the Nikonos III. I want to share this because a I bought one before I knew this and the frame counter did not work.
Hey Adam , glad you enjoyed the video! One of the reasons I made the video is because I haven't seen a lot of info about the III and I think its under rated. Thanks for the heads up on the frame counter, I didnt realize the earlier III's had that problem, thats a bummer yours didnt work. I have two nikonos III's and have been really lucky with no problems or floods. Thanks for tuning in
Hey great video! Do you know if the Nikonos V o-rings fit with the Nikonos III? I can't seem to find any of Nikonos III but the V are pretty common. Thanks!
thank you, the Nikonos V o rings are larger than the III o rings by a pretty good amount. You may be better off finding O rings for the I or II since those cameras are about the same as the III. Ikelite also sells O rings in different sizes, maybe you can find one with a similar circumference as the III and make it work? that has always been my backup plan if my o rings ever go out but i never actually tested it out. hope that helps, good luck!
Hi Alex! I've just bought a Nikonos III for playing around with surf photography. Do you have any tips? I also really wanna ask if you have a portfolio/instagram/collection of your work from which we could take inspiration :) thanksss, have a nice day
Hey Emanuele, that’s awesome! the nikonos is perfect for surf photography. Best tip for good results is to shoot with your Apeture between f11-f22 and set your focus from around 4ft to infinity, then you just need to compose your shot. Also shoot with at least 400 speed film or higher. If you want some inspiring work look up Jeff Divine, Ron Stoner, and Leroy Grannis ..a few incredible surf photographers. Hope this helps, thanks for watching
Good call, thats a lot easier than using that external viewfinder. I never understood why they didn’t put 80mm frame lines in the V. Thanks for watching, enjoy the III 🤙🏼
Awesome video! I just purchased a Nikonos III inspired by this video. Looking forward to taking the camera with me sailing in the summer. Do you tend to use ISO 400 film? Thanks!
Thanks George! That’s awesome you picked one up and yeah it will be perfect for sailing in the summer. I always shoot at least ISO 400 when I shoot action , but for static subjects you can get away with 100 or 200 especially if you have time to setup or shot and dial in your settings. Good luck out there, hope you get some good shots !
I have the iv. Had it for a few months but weather hasn’t been pro-swimming. I need to test the seals. They look fantastic and the camera came with a backup seal and the silicone was in the case with it so I know the previous owner at least THOUGHT about seals and maintenance. Anyway. Wish me luck as it warms up.
Hey William! Sounds like you got a good setup going with the back up seals, that is really nice to have. I usually test out my new cameras in a bucket of water or the sink before some serious action. I hope that weather clears up for you and I’d love to hear about the results you get with the iv, thanks for watching
I've been researching the Nikonos II for awhile now, but the Nikonos III seems to be a great camera from what you've said. The main reason I've hesitated on purchasing one is that I've read about the seals going bad can cause the camera to flood. So my main question is do you send your cameras out to be serviced, or do you service them yourself? Is it hard to find the rubber gaskets? Also, is it hard to replace yourself?
Hey man , if you come across a nikonos II for a good price I would go for it. It really just depends on the condition, I have original seals on all my nikonos cameras and maybe I’ve just been lucky but no leaks. You can find replacement seals on eBay sometimes and taking them on and off is easy. Every few months I will take off the main camera seal and lens seal and wipe them fully clean with a cloth, then apply silicone grease to them. All the maintenance can be done at home easily. If you end up picking one up I can send you a bunch more info too
Cool vid, thanks! I learned about this camera after reading about Larry Sultan's new book and was interested to know how it could connect to a flash - didn't look like there was a hot shoe (just a cold shoe) but could be wrong? Does it have PC sync?
Thanks Daniel, glad you enjoyed it. I’m going to check that book out. Yes there is a PC sync on the bottom plate of the camera, and you can still find the strobe light with these cameras for sale sometimes. I have two of the original strobes, there’s attachment arms, making it a full on underwater rig. One day I’ll do a video showing the whole setup. Thanks for watching.
@@alexbemanian ah ok. I saw the rangefinder esq finder on the left and the SLR looks like the viewfinder is in the center. Thank you for clarifying. Maybe I will pick one up one day. Looks much easier than a huge housing for digital!
Neither of those cameras are SLRs. You do not have through the lens viewing. Many years later, Nikon did release an underwater SLR - the Nikonos RS. It was very advanced and very expensive. It employed a different lens mount and even had auto focus capabilities. Unfortunately, sales of this camera were not great so they stopped production of it. @@vc6218
first thank you so much for this video. I just got one I put the batteries on and the only thing in the viewfinder is this red light that moves when I move the shutter there's no marking is that correct? there's no on/off button correct? thank you so much
Glad you enjoyed it. Adjust your Apeture and shutter speed to how you want to shoot, then half press the shutter, you should see your shutter speed number light up in the viewfinder. When the number stays solid red that’s the shutter speed you chose, if you see a blinking shutter speed that’s the correct shutter speed you should change to for accurate exposure. You might also see a right pointing arrow and left pointing arrow, those are telling you that your way under or over exposed and adjust accordingly. And no on/off switch but there is a shutter lock switch that sort of acts as one right next to shutter button. Hope this helps! Good luck
I would like to get one for whitewater kayaking, for stopping action of surfers and waves do you always use 1/500 or can you get away with 1/250? I imagine I will run into more situations with low light in the mountains and that I will miss focus on a zone focus camera with a wide aperture. Also what film are you using? Thanks
It would be perfect for whitewater kayaking. I mostly shoot @ 1/500 for surfing but it depends on which lens I’m using and how far away the subject is. If the surfer is further away I can get away with 1/250, especially with the 35mm. The zone focus gets tricky with low light using a wider apertures (2.5-5.6), especially if your focusing on something relatively close, depth gets really shallow. I generally choose a slower shutter speed rather than a wide Aperture in a crunch. For stationary shots or subtle movement I’ve got sharp photos at 1/30. Your best bet is to shoot at least 800 speed film or higher and you should be totally good in those low light situations. I’m using portra 400, gold 200, ektar 100, and tri-x 40. I mostly shoot in bright sunny conditions. If portra 800 was cheaper I’d shoot it all day. Hope this helps, good luck
Thanks for the tips. Do you bother with metering or flash ever? Also what do you do about water droplets on the lens, I guess the wide angle makes them invisible? Also I saw what looked like an CPL or an ND filter on the camera at :35, curious what that was.@@alexbemanian
I don’t bother metering with the nikonos iii because the external meter is too cumbersome to hold in the water, but if I really need to nail exposures I will use the nikonos v since it has a built in meter. To avoid water spots, I clean the lens with a microfiber cloth before I go out and avoid fingerprints on the glass. A good shake or too usually gets water droplets off before you shoot, but only if the glass isn’t greasy. That filter i had on was an orange filter, I use it when shooting black and white film for some extra contrast.
You can meter on dry land and just remember that after 3 feet of depth open up one stop(same for every 3 feet after that). Some surf photographers put spit or surf wax on the front portal (it's not the actual front element of the lens) this will repel the water droplets. I think the filter is an amber filter that balances for the blue tint most water gives. Really only good for shallow water thought because the filter blocks some light.@@S7RING3R
But it is worth mentioning that only 2 lenses are for amphibious use (the 35mm and the 80mm), one 28mm lens for above water only and all the other lenses (including the famous 15mm used for Avatar 2) are real wet lenses for underwater use only that just make blurry images above water with a tiny sharp point in the center. I just bought a Nikonos III from ebay. Want to try some underwater photography without going 100% into it with special cases etc. My father once had a Nikonos V and flooded it. If this happens aith the Nikonos III it is in theory not lost.
Yes it’s definitely worth mentioning, good point. I think you meant to say the 28mm lens is for under water only, not above. And yes if you flood the V version chances are the camera will be fried but the III is fully mechanical and has a much better chance of continued use. Hope you enjoy your new camera and get some good photos. I am working on a new nikonos video now that will go more in depth than my previous videos should be done soon. Thanks for watching 🤙🏼
@@alexbemanian I believe that Nikon did produce a Nikonos 28mm lens for above water / land use. It's known as the LW 28mm f2.8 lens. Of course there is also the UW 28mm f3.5 lens as well.
@@cdegenova1761 any o rings you can find would be worth it, if there unopened even better. Even if they look crusty just clean them off, use some silicone grease on them, and do a water test in your sink with no film in the camera before you take it out for a dive.
Nikonos III vs Nikonos V? Which camera would you choose? 🤔
I chose the NIkonos III for the reasons you mentioned. I will mostly be using it in fresh water around Austin, TX but I do some times go to the beach at Galveston, TX.
@@zeiss66super good choice ! 🤙
Nikonos ii
just had both of these handed down to me so stoked
I would be stoked too, you’re lucky! Enjoy 🤙🏼
Hey Alex, super nice video, I just decided to go for a Nikonos thanks to your videos about waterproof cameras! Off topic but what scanner do you use?
Hey, thank you ! That’s awesome , I hope you enjoy your camera, there a lot of fun. I use to scan my negatives on an epson v550 flatbed for years , great budget option but it’s time consuming. These days I use my digital camera to scan the negatives and negative lab pro to invert them. I don’t shoot as much film lately and sometimes I just have my local lab scan it because they usually get the best results. Hope that helps, good luck with your nikonos, hit me up if you have any questions.
Solid video as usual! Your photos wanna make me jump in the water with one of these cameras and just blast rolls off ha
Thanks Brian! I’m glad to hear that , these cameras are inspiring for sure! If you end up getting one I would love to hear how it goes for you 🤙🏼
Awesom video Alex! So random I've linked up with you while I was surfing around Carlsbad and you happened to be shooting water and got a couple tube photos of me. I love my nikonos 2 and this vid popped up in my suggested. Small world!
What’s up Bryan! Long time no see, yeah I got lots of photos of you surfing at a few different local spots. I think I have a few more from a ponto session, shoot me an email I’ll send em alexbemanianphoto@gmail.com. Yeah man the older nikonos cameras are epic, gotta link up someday for another sesh see what we can get with the nikonos. 🤙🏼
Hi. The colors on your images are simply beautiful. Can you share with us some tips on how you manage your color grading to create that dreamy look?
Hello! Thank you , I appreciate the kind words. Yes, I will do a video soon on editing workflow. The film stock does a lot of the heavy lifting though
@@alexbemanian Thank you for your response. I would love to see that ! Congratulations for your good work. Cheers.
@@Minishoot thank you ! 🤙🏼
Loved this video, I learned alot. I just got a Nikonos II and am so so excited to use it
Thank you, glad you enjoyed. Good luck with the new camera 🤙🏼
Awesome images. I'm keen to get the Nikonos III as well - mainly for the reasons you listed. However, one potential issue is finding places that will service the III. If there are any businesses around that can still service Nikonos cameras, they would likely have experience servicing the V model as that one seems to be more popular and continued production for a very long time.
Thank you . I haven’t been able to find anyone that services the nikonos unfortunately. But I have been really lucky and none of my cameras have failed yet. The V is definitely more popular and it has some nice features, but there’s a lot more that can go wrong. The III is a safe choice, all mechanical, total workhorse! Hope you find one out there , cheers!
Thanks for making this video. There is not a lot about this camera out there. I learned that the latter examples of this camera are more likely to have a working frame counter due to improvements in the design. You can look for serial numbers starting with 317 or 318 and look for the red section before the number zero to make sure it's one of these latter examples of the Nikonos III. I want to share this because a I bought one before I knew this and the frame counter did not work.
Hey Adam , glad you enjoyed the video! One of the reasons I made the video is because I haven't seen a lot of info about the III and I think its under rated. Thanks for the heads up on the frame counter, I didnt realize the earlier III's had that problem, thats a bummer yours didnt work. I have two nikonos III's and have been really lucky with no problems or floods. Thanks for tuning in
Hey great video! Do you know if the Nikonos V o-rings fit with the Nikonos III? I can't seem to find any of Nikonos III but the V are pretty common. Thanks!
thank you, the Nikonos V o rings are larger than the III o rings by a pretty good amount. You may be better off finding O rings for the I or II since those cameras are about the same as the III. Ikelite also sells O rings in different sizes, maybe you can find one with a similar circumference as the III and make it work? that has always been my backup plan if my o rings ever go out but i never actually tested it out. hope that helps, good luck!
Hi Alex! I've just bought a Nikonos III for playing around with surf photography. Do you have any tips? I also really wanna ask if you have a portfolio/instagram/collection of your work from which we could take inspiration :) thanksss, have a nice day
Hey Emanuele, that’s awesome! the nikonos is perfect for surf photography. Best tip for good results is to shoot with your Apeture between f11-f22 and set your focus from around 4ft to infinity, then you just need to compose your shot. Also shoot with at least 400 speed film or higher. If you want some inspiring work look up Jeff Divine, Ron Stoner, and Leroy Grannis ..a few incredible surf photographers. Hope this helps, thanks for watching
I'll just bought a Nikonos III, so I can use the 80mm without an external viewfinder 😉
Because my V only has 35mm viewfinder lines.
Good call, thats a lot easier than using that external viewfinder. I never understood why they didn’t put 80mm frame lines in the V. Thanks for watching, enjoy the III 🤙🏼
Awesome video! I just purchased a Nikonos III inspired by this video. Looking forward to taking the camera with me sailing in the summer. Do you tend to use ISO 400 film? Thanks!
Thanks George! That’s awesome you picked one up and yeah it will be perfect for sailing in the summer. I always shoot at least ISO 400 when I shoot action , but for static subjects you can get away with 100 or 200 especially if you have time to setup or shot and dial in your settings. Good luck out there, hope you get some good shots !
I have the iv. Had it for a few months but weather hasn’t been pro-swimming. I need to test the seals. They look fantastic and the camera came with a backup seal and the silicone was in the case with it so I know the previous owner at least THOUGHT about seals and maintenance. Anyway. Wish me luck as it warms up.
Hey William! Sounds like you got a good setup going with the back up seals, that is really nice to have. I usually test out my new cameras in a bucket of water or the sink before some serious action. I hope that weather clears up for you and I’d love to hear about the results you get with the iv, thanks for watching
@@alexbemanian hey I’ll definitely do that! I’ll let you know how it goes.
I've been researching the Nikonos II for awhile now, but the Nikonos III seems to be a great camera from what you've said. The main reason I've hesitated on purchasing one is that I've read about the seals going bad can cause the camera to flood.
So my main question is do you send your cameras out to be serviced, or do you service them yourself? Is it hard to find the rubber gaskets? Also, is it hard to replace yourself?
Hey man , if you come across a nikonos II for a good price I would go for it. It really just depends on the condition, I have original seals on all my nikonos cameras and maybe I’ve just been lucky but no leaks. You can find replacement seals on eBay sometimes and taking them on and off is easy. Every few months I will take off the main camera seal and lens seal and wipe them fully clean with a cloth, then apply silicone grease to them. All the maintenance can be done at home easily. If you end up picking one up I can send you a bunch more info too
There are also internal o-rings that are not designed to be user serviced which will fail eventually.
Cool vid, thanks! I learned about this camera after reading about Larry Sultan's new book and was interested to know how it could connect to a flash - didn't look like there was a hot shoe (just a cold shoe) but could be wrong? Does it have PC sync?
Thanks Daniel, glad you enjoyed it. I’m going to check that book out. Yes there is a PC sync on the bottom plate of the camera, and you can still find the strobe light with these cameras for sale sometimes. I have two of the original strobes, there’s attachment arms, making it a full on underwater rig. One day I’ll do a video showing the whole setup. Thanks for watching.
I just bought a Nikonos II, how often do you have to lube up the rubber ring in the lens? After every roll you shoot?
That’s awesome, hope you enjoy it. Every other roll or few rolls, if it looks dried out definitely lube it up.
oh one is a rangefinder and one is a SLR?! Very cool!!
They both use the same zone focusing system , it’s not quite a rangefinder , there’s no focusing patch.
@@alexbemanian ah ok. I saw the rangefinder esq finder on the left and the SLR looks like the viewfinder is in the center. Thank you for clarifying. Maybe I will pick one up one day. Looks much easier than a huge housing for digital!
Neither of those cameras are SLRs. You do not have through the lens viewing. Many years later, Nikon did release an underwater SLR - the Nikonos RS. It was very advanced and very expensive. It employed a different lens mount and even had auto focus capabilities. Unfortunately, sales of this camera were not great so they stopped production of it. @@vc6218
first thank you so much for this video. I just got one I put the batteries on and the only thing in the viewfinder is this red light that moves when I move the shutter there's no marking is that correct? there's no on/off button correct? thank you so much
sorry forgot to say I got Nikonos v
Glad you enjoyed it. Adjust your Apeture and shutter speed to how you want to shoot, then half press the shutter, you should see your shutter speed number light up in the viewfinder. When the number stays solid red that’s the shutter speed you chose, if you see a blinking shutter speed that’s the correct shutter speed you should change to for accurate exposure. You might also see a right pointing arrow and left pointing arrow, those are telling you that your way under or over exposed and adjust accordingly. And no on/off switch but there is a shutter lock switch that sort of acts as one right next to shutter button. Hope this helps! Good luck
@@alexbemanian thank you for this! with your tips I was finally able to see the shutter speed change thank you
I would like to get one for whitewater kayaking, for stopping action of surfers and waves do you always use 1/500 or can you get away with 1/250? I imagine I will run into more situations with low light in the mountains and that I will miss focus on a zone focus camera with a wide aperture. Also what film are you using? Thanks
It would be perfect for whitewater kayaking. I mostly shoot @ 1/500 for surfing but it depends on which lens I’m using and how far away the subject is. If the surfer is further away I can get away with 1/250, especially with the 35mm. The zone focus gets tricky with low light using a wider apertures (2.5-5.6), especially if your focusing on something relatively close, depth gets really shallow. I generally choose a slower shutter speed rather than a wide Aperture in a crunch. For stationary shots or subtle movement I’ve got sharp photos at 1/30. Your best bet is to shoot at least 800 speed film or higher and you should be totally good in those low light situations. I’m using portra 400, gold 200, ektar 100, and tri-x 40. I mostly shoot in bright sunny conditions. If portra 800 was cheaper I’d shoot it all day. Hope this helps, good luck
Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it@@alexbemanian
Thanks for the tips. Do you bother with metering or flash ever? Also what do you do about water droplets on the lens, I guess the wide angle makes them invisible? Also I saw what looked like an CPL or an ND filter on the camera at :35, curious what that was.@@alexbemanian
I don’t bother metering with the nikonos iii because the external meter is too cumbersome to hold in the water, but if I really need to nail exposures I will use the nikonos v since it has a built in meter. To avoid water spots, I clean the lens with a microfiber cloth before I go out and avoid fingerprints on the glass. A good shake or too usually gets water droplets off before you shoot, but only if the glass isn’t greasy. That filter i had on was an orange filter, I use it when shooting black and white film for some extra contrast.
You can meter on dry land and just remember that after 3 feet of depth open up one stop(same for every 3 feet after that). Some surf photographers put spit or surf wax on the front portal (it's not the actual front element of the lens) this will repel the water droplets. I think the filter is an amber filter that balances for the blue tint most water gives. Really only good for shallow water thought because the filter blocks some light.@@S7RING3R
But it is worth mentioning that only 2 lenses are for amphibious use (the 35mm and the 80mm), one 28mm lens for above water only and all the other lenses (including the famous 15mm used for Avatar 2) are real wet lenses for underwater use only that just make blurry images above water with a tiny sharp point in the center.
I just bought a Nikonos III from ebay. Want to try some underwater photography without going 100% into it with special cases etc. My father once had a Nikonos V and flooded it. If this happens aith the Nikonos III it is in theory not lost.
Yes it’s definitely worth mentioning, good point. I think you meant to say the 28mm lens is for under water only, not above. And yes if you flood the V version chances are the camera will be fried but the III is fully mechanical and has a much better chance of continued use. Hope you enjoy your new camera and get some good photos. I am working on a new nikonos video now that will go more in depth than my previous videos should be done soon. Thanks for watching 🤙🏼
@@alexbemanian I believe that Nikon did produce a Nikonos 28mm lens for above water / land use. It's known as the LW 28mm f2.8 lens. Of course there is also the UW 28mm f3.5 lens as well.
@@anzaeria yes your right, looks like a great lens, but its pricey. I would love to have it in my kit.
Have you found anywhere that sells the o-rings for this camera?
eBay
@@alexbemanianso do you recommend buying some unopened old o-rings to be able to take it underwater? I feel like even those would be sketchy
@@cdegenova1761 any o rings you can find would be worth it, if there unopened even better. Even if they look crusty just clean them off, use some silicone grease on them, and do a water test in your sink with no film in the camera before you take it out for a dive.
I would choose Nikonos lll
You’ve taken some great photos on the III I know it’s your favorite !